Make the Time: The Fuhrman Family Collection at The Contemporary Austin

Works of art from Glenn and Amanda Furhman’s blue-chip collection of contemporary art currently are on view at The Contemporary Austin. The exhibition features the human figure, primarily in sculpture, each a type of investigation of the roles into which we cast others and ourselves. Artworks by Matthew Barney, Louis Bourgeois, Jim Hodges and Kiki Smith, among others, explore the complex relationships between humans, the natural world and abstract concepts concerning spirituality and death.

A notable work of art is Maurizio Cattelan’s Frank and Jamie (2002), two life-size and upside-down wax figures of officers from the NY Housing Authority Institute, that greets a visitor on the second floor of the exhibition. Cattelan undermines the authority of these security guards, now rendered powerless, with humor. The sculpture also subverts the authority of “fine art,” which traditionally is two-dimensional, by literally turning it on its head.

Stop by before the exhibition closes on August 24th.